The Capanda Dam, located on the Kwanza River in Angola, began construction in 1987 and became operational in stages between 2004 and 2007. Its reservoir covers roughly 170 square kilometers and can store nearly 5 billion cubic meters of water, making it one of the largest man-made reservoirs in Angola. The hydroelectric plant has an installed capacity of 520 megawatts, generated by four 130-megawatt turbines, and plays a major role in supplying power to Luanda and regulating water flow along the Kwanza River. Its construction was heavily disrupted by Angola’s civil war, with work suspended for years before resuming in 2000. Today, Capanda remains one of Angola’s most important hydroelectric facilities and part of a broader chain of major dams on the Kwanza.
-9.794550, 15.464070
Source imagery: Landsat / Copernicus
